Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur

The temple of Brihadishwara or Brihadisvara or Brihadeeswarar is one such brilliance of Chola's art and architectural style. The temple is dedicated to the most revered God of the Cholas Empire, Lord Shiva. There are other temples also in the temple complex dedicated to Lord Vishnu, Lady Shakti and other gods of Hindu mythology.

The temple is a great architectural feat and comes in a trio with other two. The temple was built by the great Cholas King Raja Raja I, in around 1003 to 1010 CE. The others of the trios are located to the northeast of the Brihadisvara are Airavatesvara and Gangaikoda Cholapuram. The sculpture of the temple and the architecture is off the chart. The towering tomb of the main temple is the tallest in the Southern India and is built with granite about the sacred sanctum of Lord Shiva. The corridor of the temple complex is a long and arched one, mesmerising enough to make one fall into illusions. The Lord is worshipped in his Nataraj form made form brass. The sheer magnanimity of the temple indicated the name Brihadisvara meaning Massive Lord complementing the proficient Tamil architectural style.

The Brihadisvara Temple has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a great place for visiting the unearth secrets and majestic of affluent latter Sangam Era.

Timings

Brihadisvara Temple open at 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM

During the sunday's, temple was extremely crowded, Devotee's can purchase a special darshan ticket for 5.00 INR to speeds up the darshan time (Separate paid queue).